AUSTRALIAN. BEE LORE AND BEE CULTURE ALBERT GALE ~ WILLIAM BROOKS AND CO. LIMITED Return this book on or before the Latest Date stamped below. University of Illinois Library L161—H41 — — ‘ ae = 5 ea te > ie ell Bed SS SS eee a SET bd — — ¥ ’ ; 4 Dy es A ¢ + Asth mg AT he , of r} = ae aT a ‘t a r : Ss . a ; > S ' ~~ * 4 ¢ oy iD > MALIAST2UA che Sie 2807 ) Sa GVA a0 aaa ee a) ot % ' : a F - ‘ e -? ; . a = ay e 3 : ! “ : hl aa ; — ND ; hy “ oF eee th iF LS os a . AUSTRALIAN BEE LORE AND BEE CULTURE. 1 aes ty a elie a ane ae A BI OUT 43 oma waa BUA 40 oF) 2 deol m Agsar) a> &) ies Advance Australia. AUSTRALIAN Bee, LORE, AND pee CULTURE INCLUDING THE INFLUENCE OF BEES ON CROPS AND THE COLOUR OF FLOWERS AND ITS INFLUENCE ON BEE LIFE. BY ALBERT GALE Late Bee Expert and Lecturer on Aptculture to N.S.W. Government. eR SYDNEY : William Brooks & Co., Ltd., Printers, 17 Castlereagh Street. 1912, : Re oe ‘A z peti and Whident Ht pn Oy ty “tee sve wade, asank ey aie sal ont iy Ae “4 ay v0 Ms idle Stahl Rds a BF PLT Ad ; i ar er Yall y — iia 1p ei HO attr yen servis frets a jae. sie a sae atl 4" ius gen ra 5 8 Pan i lab a. <> “oy rieanAy wk ‘eieiead ge Nlecya ees i arnlt age © raphe byt Bulge 1h Livia ee, ay nye Hirt) j : = jini) nats Aiouuiih abt) x ie ) ay ¥ pin got sett teanl- sabhacnnt | 4 The ‘4 he ay Hate EI Pun: erhhs? bat . a4 yates ' isa eet ren, Eee fA, a p Weyer: Wa /e vupite snsit oS cyl i or 2 i" ae : a | Brix! a . fe oe. ey Mar AO aot. 2 mid wrenntt) ye . Gilg ite AS wits DE =a th ‘Buel i vst ei ine pagth«- panabrittee 2 a alt xy “neh ba hast i wos i a ak ‘ened Ih eau UW .saad Bei ~yyntie inate BE hw vt a” - % a ae Trg eee i var Fag mn aif “ail ny) vi pelt asad iF Ba eapeten in 5h) ee een iyraa ilove ae wt aa fadtany STA dhe ' holt ocerin® 1: eats iy Rava. 2 vw ke oo Ipete ares Bohes ri - sontulignt os spa) de aout satan rein in pee eS Ltt (S43 eal nd’ Deitie ni ite = alloy lure ey in a) a : Jf ete “ND ‘ CONTENTS. CHAPTER I.—INTRODUCTION OF BEES. Native bees—First hive bees, by Captain Wallace—First adver- PAGE. tisement—Controversary from 1822 to 1824—Taken to Jervis Bay in 1840—White-fellow’s sugar bag—Honey in the early seventies we a Ma he Be 7 an si 1-3 CHAPTER II.—INTRODUCTION OF THE ITALIAN BEE. First Italian bees—Attacks by bee moth—‘‘Australian Bee Manual,’’ references to, in 1886—Value of Italian queens in 1882, onwards—Bee-keepers’ Association—Improvement in hives—Foul brood, great destruction of bees by.. Re 4-6 CHAPTER III.—BEES’ POSITION IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. Classification —Vertebrata —Annulosa — Anthropoda — Lepidop- tera, coleoptera, hymenoptera, and apidae contrasted— Genera and species of bees—Honey-producing and wax-pro- ducing bees Se ue ae ae oe oe si 7-9 CHAPTER IV.—SPECIES AND VARIETIES. Social bees of commercial value—The bee of the future—Apis mellifica, English bee—Apis ligustica, Italian bee—Virgil’s description—Historical references thereto—Golden and leather coloured—lItalian drones, queens and workers— Suitable for warm climates—Kast Indian bee, apis dorsata— Great wax producers—Apis indica, description of—Apis trigona, our native bee—Apis florea, description of—Car- niolian bee—TJ'unic or Punic bee—Difference between species and variety ba eH sf rte ae os oof 10-18 CHAPTER V.—BEES’ HOME. | The bees’ home—Various hives—Bees bringing home supplies— Bee-glue—Drone and worker cells—Wax-workers—Bees- wax—Brood in various stages—Nurse bees—Uses of bees’ legs—The queen and her cell .. »: He a — 19-25 CHAPTER VI.—BEE-KEEPING. Bee-keeping—Ancient history of—Francis Huber—The inmates of bees’ home—Queen not royal—The mother bee—Always a widow—Drones and workers always posthumas—Queen’s power of reproduction—Queen cells—Neuter, a misnomer— The eggs—Royal jelly—The cocoon—The bee-grub .. A 26-31 iv. CONTENTS. CHAPTER VII.—QUEEN BEE. Queen’s internal anatomy—Power of control of sexes—Selection Pacer. of the fittest—Golden rule of queen breeding—Emergency cells—Production of honey—Artificia! queen cells—Traits of a good queen—Metamorphose from egg to perfect insect Fecundation of a queen—Her marital flight—Queen from maturity to maternity—Production of drones, its cause— Impregnation of ovary, not the ovum—Productive and non- productive female bees—Change of sexual character of ege—Differentiation of eggs—Egg, embryonic stage to maturity—Circumstances controling reproduction—inferior queens CHAPTER VIII.—THE DRONE. Drones greatly maligned—Drone cells and their inmates— metamorphose—Food during development—Comparative area, &c., of wings—External anatomy of drone and worker compared—Parthenogenical reproduction of—Not the Ishmaels of bee—Five questions and the various answers from correspondents, re drones—How to obtain high-class drones CHAPTER IX.—MYSTERIES OF DRONE PRODUCTION. Not lazy nor idle—Value of males—One mating only—Progeny all female—Drones result of previous mating—Female pro- geny, result of queen’s fecundation—Male progeny, result of queen’s mother’s fecundation—Atavism—Perfect and complete females—Perfect and incomplete females CHAPTER X.—THE WORKING BEE. Working female—Home duties—Foragers—As forest makers— As florists—Novelties in flowers—Orchardists—Nature’s workshops and workmen—Swammerdam on fecundation— Development of egg and transformation—Moulting of larvae —Chrysalis stages—Nurse bees, duties of—Wax workers— Care of the young—Huber on nurse bees—Most useful in the division of swarms CHAPTER XI.—FERTILE WORKERS. Procreative yworkers—Drone-laying queens—mysteries of the hive—Superseding queens CHAPTER XII.—SELECTION FOR STOCK. Selection of bees for stock purposes—Select the fittest and these survive—Mating uncontrolable—Can select the dam but not the sire—Select so as to excel in gentleness and labour— Resultant characteristics seen only in progeny—There is a barrier to overcome 32-53 54-60 61-63 64-68 69-70 CONTENTS. CHAPTER XIII.—EDUCATING BEES. Ornamental comb building—How to select bees and hives for the purpose—Results—Successes and _ failures—Differences in working abilities of bees—Physical energy CHAPTER XIV.—WHY DO BEES SWARM? Nature’s reasons—Francoise Huber on swarming—Some errors— Early Spring conditions—Supply of pollen an incentive— Drones on the wing—Hours of swarming—Queen not firse to leave—Piping of queens—Swarming not for want of room —Naturalist’s errors in regard to swarming—Signs of swarm- ing—Parables—Natural and artificial swarming CHAPTER XV.—SWARM CATCHING, HIVING, AND TRANS- FERRING. Special call notes—Scouts—Bee-song on settling—Not led by the queen—Origin of beating frying pan when swarming— Queen not first to settle—‘‘Be gentle’’—Natural swarms— How to hive—Place of rendezvous—Decoy boxes—Early swarms—To prevent swarming—Vagabond swarms—How to find queen in swarm—An adage—Site for permanent home— Queen handling—Queen’s wing should not be clipped—Time of swarming—Swarm removed to permanent home—The next day—Casts 86-100 CHAPTER XVI.—TAKING BUSH SWARMS. Tools and implements—Smoke bellows—Get the bees into a box—Save all brood comb—To secure the queen—Main object ; bees and brood-combs not honey aA Bt .. 103-107 CHAPTER XVII.—HANDLING. Eyes, ears, fingers—Manipulation—Kindness and gentleness— Docility—Bee knowledge—Length of bee life—Subdued by smoke—Language of bees—Don’t stand in their way— When and how to examine—Charging the smoker—How to smoke—Signs of subjugation Me af i .. 108-112 CHAPTER XIX.—DIVISION OF SWARMS. When to divide—Conditions for—The season for—Internal appearances of hive—Virgin queen—Necessity for fertile queens—Summary zie Hs as te om .. 113-116 vi. CONTENTS. CHAPTER XX.—RE QUEENING. Change necessary—Throw-backs—Mating haphazard—Parentage known by progeny—Life of queen, drone, worker—Karly stage of queen to lay—Queen’s procreative powers subsiding —Workers’ love diminishes—Various ways of re-queening— Caging new queen—Bee-candy—Grafting cells—Chloro- forming—Why not always accepted CHAPTER XXI.—TRANSFERRING. Maxim—Subduing—Drumming—Manipulating—Like begets like —Confidence required—Charging the smoker—Virgil’s method—Description of illustration from figure 1 to figure 9 PAGE. 117-121 122-131 CHAPTER XXII.—THE HISTORICAL BEE-HIVE—ITS EVOLUTION. Amateur apiarists—Artificial bee-homes—Bible references— India, Egypt, Japanese sun-dried clay-hives—Early exper- mentors in hive construetion—Various styles of hives— Early germ in bar frames—Huber’s discoveries—Dzierzon’s top-bar—Langstroth movable frame—Evolution of bar frames—Nearing perfection—Value of the bar frame—Spac- ing—Fixing foundation comb—Correct spacing by bees— Bees and natural comb building—Bar frame, rise and pro- gress—Shape and_ size—Storing honey—Brace combs— Attachment of comb to frame—Dimensions—Natural heat required—Nature’s bee space—Shallows—British Association —Various improvements—Summary of hives—Machine made hives—Hoffman’s metal ends—Narrow bottom bar— Antipropolising inventions—Langstroth’s 61 reasons for his perfect hive—Materials—Convex and concave bevels, advan- tages of guide for measurements—Bee-space—Quantity of timber required—Iron guages—Heddon’s measurement of— Other hives—Langstroth’s simplicity, measurement of 132-138: CHAPTER XXII.—MOVABLE BOTTOM BOARDS FOR THE LANGSTROTH SIMPLICITY HIVE. Measurements of V entrance No. 1—Measurements of No. 2— Alighting board—Measurements of roofs—Quilt—Full-size bar frame measurement—Centre bar—Shallows—Division boards—Frame blocks, measurements of—Description of Shallows—Division boards—Frame block, measurements of —Description of fig. 2—Measurements of CHAPTER XXIV.—CONCRETE FLOORS. Superior advantages of—Measurements—Description of dia- grams ’ 139-150) CONTENTS. vii. CHAPTER XXV.—HAWKESBURY AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE APIARY. 1, Géneral views—2 shows floor, wire cradle, and sections— PAGE. Various hives in use in college apiary—The kiosk—Removing hives and bees to another site : ne oe .. 154-160 CHAPTER XXVI.—ADVANCE OF BEE-LIFE UNDER DOMESTICATION. California—Extensive apiaries—Value of apparati—Honey har- vests—N.S.W. National prizes a hobby—Ornamental apiaries —As an article of diet—Some uses for honey ae .. 161-165 CHAPTER XXVII.—APPLIANCES AND HOW TO USE THEM. How to manipulate—Protection—Bee veils—Bee gloves—Other protections .. vs au ae ae a Ai .. 166-169 CHAPTER XXVIII.—CHARACTERISTIC SITES FOR AN APIARY. Make the most of it—Uses for honey—Will it pay ?—Flower culture—Gardening—Will it pay ?—Bees kept on house root —Bees at Agricultural Shows .. ee ba ar .. 170-1765. CHAPTER XXIX.—HIVE ARRANGEMENTS. Success and failure—As a hobby—Semi-circular and_ straight quincunx plan—Advantages of—Bush-house apiary—lIts fit- tings—Berlepsch hive preferable “3 ee a .. 176-181 CHAPTER XXX.—EVOLUTION OF THE BEE-HIVE. Domestication — Nature’s home — Clay-hives — Hollow logs— Hives of the first bee-keepers—Wild honey—Karly writers— Destroying bees for the honey—Nutt’s supernumary box— The bar frame—Huber’s book hive—Langstroth and Dzier- zon—Bees working in the open—Spacing—Bar-frames— Heddon frame, its measurements—Shallow frames—Quinby and other types, measurements of—Bar frames in parts— Langstroth frame, its measurements—Thick top bar—Hoff- man ends—Narrow bottom bar—Guage for staples—Ready- made bar-frames—Langstroth’s 61 pros and cons—Materials —Brooy chamber—Half-size super-roof—Quilts—Full-size frame, page 221, and for shallows—Dummy—Section cradle —Sections—Half-size dummy—Section holder—Sections see diagram, page 228—Gale’s wire cradle—Berlepsch hive— Hive in parts—The frame—Description of observatory doors —How arranged—The verandah—Advantages and _ other- wise—The combination hive—Its advocates and its pros and cons st, ain oe ae ie ae oo .. 182-234 viii. CONTENTS. CHAPTER XXXI.—BEE-KEEPING IN BAR-FRAME HIVES. Beginner’s kit—How to get your bees—Transferring from trees —-Foundation comb—Home made foundation comb—Gloves— The smoker—Swarm catcher—Uncapping knife—Solar ex- tractor Pic CHAPTER XXXII.—BEE-WINTERING. ““Apiology’”’—Climatic changes—Essentials for bee-life and health—Winter feeding—Kind of food—Temperature— Huber’s experiment—Ventilation—Numerical strength of colony—Outside protection—Internal dampness CHAPTER XXXIII.—NOTES ON HONEY. Virgil—Honeys from Crete, &c.—Cuban honey—Parramatta and Gordon honey—Orange blossom honey—Almond flavored —White box, yellow box, and prickly tea-tree honey— Uses of honey CHAPTER XXXIV.—THE VALUE OF BEESWAX. Prices for wax—Wax production—Nature’s economy—Huber’s experiments by forced production—Bees lengthen the cells —Adulteration—Demand for beeswax—Profits—Alcohol— Specific gravity—Cheshire on adulterations—Testing for adulterations — Discoloration — Causes — Moulding — Black combs—Loss of wax—Solar extractor—Apis dorsata PAGE. 235-241 242-249 252-256 CHAPTER XXXV.—THE INFLUENCE OF BEES ON CROPS. Essential addenda for crops—Nature’s reproductive army— Flowering and flowerless plants—No bees, no fruit—Butter- flies—Cross-pollenisation—Reproductive organs of plant life—Nature’s use for blossoms—Stamens and_ pestils— Fructification of entomophilous flowers, &¢c.—Parts of a blossom and their uses—Bees and pollen or bee-bread— The corolla—The calyx—Daylight and twilight flowers— The nectary—Analogy between flowers and insects—Dar- win on orchids—Male and female flowers on different plants —Pollen for sale—Nature’s safeguard against in-and-in re- production—Herodotus—Apples and pears—A grain of pollen necessary for every grain of seed—Cause of mis-shapened fruits—Matrimonial ceremonies—Conjugal traits of plant life—Bees gathering pollen—Adaptation of bees’ bodies for pollen gathering—Ovule receives the ‘‘verm of life’’— Accomplished—How fruit becomes mature—Bees make no mistakes—Work of butterfly and bee contrasted—Influence of dust and rain storms on fruit crops—Destruction caused by insects other than bees—Bees have few enemies—The fall of unpollenised fruits. 257-273 CONTENTS. ix: CHAPTER XXXVI.—ARTIFICIAL FERTILISATION. Bees the great fruit producers—Inoculated or cross-pollenised— Page. Removal of pollen—Sexual flowers—How to effect inocula- tion of the female flower—How to protect the essential flowers—Instruments to use to effect fertilisation—Hybri- disation—Healthy stameniferous and pistiliferous plants necessary—Bisexual blooms—Double flowers—Plants _ re- turn to earlier forms—Pollen blooms, the cells of life; pistillate blooms, the cells of matter—Hybrid plants, how to perpetuate—‘‘Natural orders,’’ illustrations from the poultry yard—Nature’s agents in the production of food for man—Bee par excellence as procreative agents with entomo- philous plants—Handicrafts, illustrated in bee-life—Bee- keepers and orchardists’ confederates—Don’t check bee- life—Color and perfume of flowers—Ants, bees, and wasps —Sir John Lubbock—Inconspicuous blossoms more attrac- tive than highly colored—Lubbock’s experiments—Grant Allen’s advertisements—Brilliant foliage v. bright colored flowers—Artificial flowers—The agent that attracts bees— Nasturtium—Double flowers not attractive to bees—Bees’ various movements in gathering honey and pollen—Turnip blossoms and lucerne flowers—Poppies—English bees with Australian flowers—Australian white flowers more attractive to bees than bright colors—Bright colors fail to attract imported bees—Australian bee-keepers’ experiments .. 274-292 CHAPTER XXXVII.—COLOR OF FLOWERS AND ITS INFLUENCE ON BEE-LIFE. Entomophalous and anemophilous flowers—Sexes among plants —Locomotive powers in plant-life—Difficulties in the way of cross fructification—Nature of pollen—Bees pre-eminent in storing pollen—Preceptive organs of insects—The native bee—Adaptability of flowers to bees and vice versa—Aus- tralian honey plants—Nuptial flight of bees—Refutation of authorities—Lubbock on ‘‘Bees, Ants, and Wasps’’— Tests inaccurate—Observations in Botanic Gardens—Mr. Baker, Technical Museum—Turnips and lucerne—Darwin on bees’ ‘‘taste for coloured flowers’’—Poppies—Bees neg- lecting to work on certain flowers—Why?—Sign boards and fingerposts a hasty conclusion—Grant Allen—Nastur- tium—Agricultural examination papers—Bees_ disregard their Old World training when in Australia—Their loss of education after they cross the equatorial line .. .. 293-302 CHAPTER XXXVIII.—BEE CALENDAR. From January to December, inclusive—The work for each month he co ae a ne ar str .. 3803-313 mT ¢ es. 7 rn : 7 iy NY, fo hee ah )- foe THA oe Y et a: ¢ : ee Ae +i) Hadith at Ws ae ow 4 SS SD a aE of Ke RAS Safest a a Ph, cade 18, Tigges Rath ha SahN = 7s oa ain Ph amg "4 Ley: eles ris ray aé d 4 ; > Sain” Ae REGGE hale kiN th agidésae a —— a wel Mane Kit “dpe alias 28: pei pM : mM: ; Ne hag ti RU ey LI La et ee ieee ack " rd * Te ay ie ah Netw th. iene are a AS oh Sagi FAS Vik eT “ep eng eah a, _ ir te ene Somes owed 8 ean: ee ance ri Dead Wie te ae hie” a ge va ian ae AN Aaya tara” aL Ey ita, ake pip sled ee vi a td wit iaery: ital VY 4h, nt £ bined ¢ f 7 a Oe ee wr ; f ba aes iy HEF P ah: ure ‘aaa rey yay aah cary i Pay ie? i eh | fo ra" # "bevy Hae R i Meth ae ; Hi aac\ Mes oe ee Abs ; fe e 4 y een ye a pe Sa IM fe Vong re Vay eet Be onal mine to Se Naedais ha ws" en ee ae ore hic Be Nive wake ays OO? RHF ie cod perme * Eee tigate ay 2 ee eae The Aa a Hh matic saath is ahs a Pane se Aik ies ‘he Pn eat a eh! ay ‘ Nee tye Ae iy ae ry se peas “ghana “> ently: a raf eet, Sail hunt t REM aah’ Salama wee . Preity go CU oie PA oy Pe care ae mcd ata ahaa a4 nan ey rh vey tas aes Padre din reM ” wie Tes in aah Deas ” ue ae ; ry. Baie a TL ee ment ee rk eg pol ah aR yi lf ie: tbe lef ee. he Let whe Po och gt. Spl pe Crane anes safle ae. A aoT 3 yp ay ese \: Ge 44 Wael my e Qs bs) f SYD 4 i is 4 = i ‘ , a ee i Red NE ° te ak VIET Re oh no Lie re. Py S94 é ‘ DDO aye VN Peseta ee ee “ ii ihe: eh ipa a ae tak eS fat acl " dn y® 7 abi P ath, 3 ; ay att Rua ot Stan yer Few Tote ily eo 4 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. Advance Australia (Frontispiece) Honey Bees Bee Farming (past and _ present) Queen cages and protectors Queen cages (another type) Queen cells Queen cells on natural combs Queen cells on bar-frames Alley queen nursery (reversed) Nursery cage se Comb built in the open air Queen rearing Shallow bar-frame Old straw hives N.S.W. written by bees Catching a swarm Taking a clustering swarm Transferring bees from a log The smoker Introducing queen cages The author transferring bees at the Hawkesbury College .. “Yes, we believe it’’ The Heddon Hive Bottom Board, No. 1 Bottom Board, No. 2. Alighting Board Descriptive Bar-frame Frame Block, Fig. 1 Frame Block, Fig. 2 Concrete floors for bee-hives View of Apiary and Kiosk, Agricultural College List oF ILLUSTRATIONS. PaGE. xii. Hive and section cradle filled with sections 155 A Bee Farm 173 Hive Arrangements 177 Bush-house Apiary 179 Summer Shelter 185 Colony of bees on Geebung plant .. 189 Shallow Frame aS 195 Frame Angles (thick top bar) 198 Measurement of Frame (new comb) 199 Self-spacing thick top bar 200 Staple Gauge ae = 202 Langstroth’s Hive and its Fittings .. bi a te ee 7A | Cradles for sections 228 Section - ” BS oe 229 Wire Section Cradle (Gale’s) ae - is “i bg. .. 229 Berlepsch Hive and Frame 231 Foundation Comb... 4S te a oe yee 52 aan Honey Extractor (Novice’s) Aes a2 7 eg ry he 3) Smeker (Pender’s) be a Lt 42 ; : : ae 3! Uncapping Knife Bs ee 2 oe Pi Ay o4 2 ae Solar Extractor ae as ig BP ce 5 a anes Bee-Wintering i We ‘s Se af - Med yes Abdomen of worker showing wax pockets and wax scales .. .. 206 Essential or sexual organs of a blossom ae oy ve py eed aI An open blossom showing the organs and floral envelope .. seal ' A deformed apple .. a = rh as = oe .. 268 Bee in the act of fertilising ae sre ae Ee itis Dak * a Say hy i Siu yt tae Ae “i ; i val q i al iv i re ht ; BA aE a ane Ha ate ay te nye ea ; ae i) y iv bb (May uM“ ie / " ny Aa ite i Rigi ahi Bates int) oh (7 ai a ap uf AUSTRALIAN BEE, LORE AND be, CULTURE: CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION OF BEES TO AUSTRALIA. As a business to which a man may devote his sole attention, as a subsidiary to farming or fruit-growing, as an addendum, for pocket money for settlers’ wives, or as a pastime for persons of leisure in suburban homes, beekeeping has nowadays throughout Australia, so many votaries, that it almost goes without saying some brief account of the inception and growth of apiculture under the Southern Cross will be appreciated. It is a singular fact that, although both in the American continent and our own, indigenous honey producing flora abounds; the most diligent search by the entomologist and other natural- ists, on the discovery of these new lands, was not rewarded by the discovery of any social honey-bee having a commercial value. Certainly there are indigenous bees in America, but the honey- bee was an introduction. In Australia the only social honey- storing insect in any way resembling the true hive bee is the little so-called native bee, 7'’rigona carbonaria. The native bee of America does not occur here. Our native bee, Zrogona, is found in Africa and India, as well as throughout Australia. The honey produced by these native bees is variable in quality, and never equal to that of the hive-bee. It is not so very long ago, however, since ‘‘wild’’ honey was much sought after in our Australian bush as one of the greatest of luxuries. The fact that the Z’rogona has no sting induced many people who would, in’ those days of crude, ruthless methods have shrunk from an adventure with social honey-bees to wage war against the stores of the ‘‘wild bush bees.’’ In 1822 the first hive bees were brought to this part of the world (Sydney), by a Captain Wallace, or Willis, in the ship ‘‘Tsabella,”’ according to Haydon. From the bees thus introduced colonies were propagated and distributed inland. In the Govern- ment Gazette, of 21st June, 1822, there appeared this advertise- Y AUSTRALIAN BEE LORE AND BEE CULTURE: ment :—‘‘Hive of bees for sale by Mr. Parr. Bees imported by Captain Wallace (or Willis).’’ In a number of the old Sydney Gazette, dated Friday, lst November, 1822, there appears this paragraph :—‘‘We congratulate our readers upon the complete establishment of that most valuable insect, the bee, in this country. During the last three weeks three swarms of bees have been produced from two hives, the property of D. Wentworth, Esq., purchased by him from Captain Wallace, of the ‘Isabella,’ at his estate, Homebush, near Parramatta.’’ In the Sydney Morning Herald, of 10th August, 1863, it stated that at a meeting of the Acclimatisation Society of New South Wales, bees were first brought to this country by Captain Braidwood Wilson, from Hobart Town, in 1831. This was contra- dicted in a later issue of the same paper in these words :—‘‘Bees were brought from England to Sydney in the year 1824, in the ship ‘Phoenix,’ which sailed from Portsmouth in March of that year.’’ This, too, is evidently a mistake, or perhaps another importation, as is evident from the fact that bees were advertised for sale in 1822, which has already been referred to. In 1840, a settler at Jervis Bay purchased two colonies of bees, for which he paid £4, and engaged two aboriginals to carry the hives on their heads a distance of 40 miles. These were the black or English bees, sometimes termed the German bee. For most of these dates and extracts I am indebted to Mr. S. M. Mowle, Usher of the Black Rod, of the Legislative Council, who married the only daughter of the late Captain Braidwood Wilson, R.N. From the foregoing small beginnings the descendants of these bees soon spread themselves fairly well over New South Wales. Of course, these bees were kept in hives or boxes of any or every shape or style. The bar-frame hive was then unknown. Under the old system anyone could have bees who had the courage to rob them. The stray or escaped swarms of bees took to the bush. The aboriginals soon learned from their white brothers how to subdue bees by means of smoke, and with tomahawk and firestick, aided by strong vines, would ascend the loftiest and smoothest of trees to obtain the ‘‘white-fellow’s sugar bag.’’ The aboriginals have no word in their own language for the introduced bee. The flavour of the honey from the little native bee was no stranger to them, but they were not long in discovering that both in quality and quantity ‘‘white-fellow’s sugar-bag’’ was far superior. In the early seventies, so plentiful had bees become in the INTRODUCTION OF BEES TO AUSTRALIA. S bush that in the old George-street Markets, dishes and buckets full of it, mixed with dead and dying bees, dead larvae in all stages, broken comb, and rotten wood, were exposed for sale under the cognomen of bush honey. To look at it was anything but appetising. Better samples were bottled and sold under the name of ‘‘prime garden honey.’’ About 1872, our bees met with an enemy that bid fair to almost exterminate them—the bee moth put in an appearance, from whence we know not. Hitherto no skill was required in the management of bees that were kept at that time. New swarms were put into a piece of a hollow log, sawn off evenly at both ends, with pieces of stringy-bark nailed over the openings, and the bees had to obtain ingress or egress as best they could. Gin cases, tea chests, or boxes of other descriptions, were preferred, but in the bush at that time these were not always to be obtained. Mani- pulation of these hives was as crude as the grotesquely-made hives. There was no consideration given for the lives of the bees. These early beekeepers knew little or nothing of the importance of the queen bee; they did not understand ‘‘no queen, no bees,’’ therefore no honey. It was a general destruction. When the bees were robbed, wax, brood, comb, and queen were all sacrificed for the honey, and the waste of the latter was almost as great in quantity as that obtained. This slovenly way of bee-keeping, combined with the ravages of the bee moth, would have set a limit to the days of bee-keeping in this country had not means been devised to check it. 4 AUSTRALIAN BEE LORE AND BEE CULTURE CHAPTER II. INTRODUCTION OF THE ITALIAN BEE, Unper the foregoing adverse circumstances thinking men looked around for something that would be the salvation of the bees. It was long believed that the Italian bee (Apis ligustica) was an insect far superior in many ways to the English bee (Apis mellifica). Not only was it superior as a honey-gatherer, but it was reported to be far more alert, and more persevering in resisting the attacks of enemies, more especially the bee moth, which in England is known as the wax moth. So great was the onslaught with these moth pests that people owning as many as 200 colonies in a few years found themselves without a single bee. How to con- tend against this pest was an unsolved problem. The bar-frame style of hive was then little known, and the method of fighting the moth in the gin-case hives was not understood; and so it remains to this day. Not only were the bees kept in the crude methods of the day decimated by this pest, but those that had taken to bush life suffered, perhaps, to a greater extent than those more immediately under the control of man. On the Clarence River, to my knowledge, in the latter part of the sixties, it was not unusual for men to take a horse and dray and go in search of bees’ nests, returning with two or three hundredweights of honey. Neither was it an unusual thing to find two or three bees’ nests in the same tree. But in later years these, through the ravages of the bee moth, have nearly all disappeared. From the general slaughter among the bees caused by the pest named, some few bee-keepers, with more watchfulness than others, saved a few colonies out of the general wreck. To perpetuate and multiply these was the question of questions. The Italian bee was looked to for over- coming the trouble, and enthusiastic beekeepers were not long in importing the far-famed golden and leather coloured Italian bees. In the Australian Bee Manual by Isaac Hopkins of New Zealand, the introduction of the Italian bee in the Southern Hemis- phere is thus referred to :-—‘‘It was stated by Dr. Gerstaecker that four stocks of Ligurian bees were shipped in England by Mr. J. W. Woodbury, in September, 1862, and that they arrived safely in INTRODUCTION OF THE ITALIAN BEE. ay Australia after a passage of 79 days.’’ It does not appear, however, that these stocks succeeded and propagated any more than a colony which Mr. Angus Mackay, Editor of the Z'own and Country Journal in Sydney, subsequently took to Brisbane, at great expense, from America. Mr. 8. McDonnell, of Sydney, im- ported two colonies from America in 1880, and succeeded in raising stocks from them; and, later, Mr. Abrahams (now of Beecroft). a German bee-master, brought some colonies with him from Italy in 1883, settled in Parramatta, and, having succeeded in rearing a pure race of his queens, started an apiary for the Italian bee- farming Company, of which he is manager and Mr. McDonnell Secretary.’’ The date of the Bee Manual from which this is taken: is 1886. In 1882 Mr. C. Fullwood, Brisbane, had sent to him direct from Charles Bianconini, of Bologna, twelve Italian Queens. Of these five arrived alive, and of a second shipment in the following year seven reached their new home safely. In these early years of the introduction of the Italian bee into Australia, the price of pure-bred tested queens, reared in the colony, was from £2 to £3: each; and I have heard that in some cases as high a figure as £5 had been asked. Of late years I have seen three advertised for 7s. 6d. . The inauguration of Bee-keepers’ Associations for the assistance: of amateurs, and exchange of thought and bee-keeping ideas, fol- lowed soon after the introduction of the Italian bee. These. Associations were based on similar lines to those established in England, which are acknowledged to have given incalculable benetit to the peasant classes in the rural districts, and the results have been equally beneficial in this State. It was never the intentions of these associations to do more than give instructions to aid people to add luxuries to their own table, in the same way as poultry- keeping, fruit-culture, kitchen-gardening, &c., is carried on, so as to expand the earnings of wage-earners, farmers’ wives and daugh- ters, and such-like. With the pure Italian bees which were at that time expensive, came the necessity for the improvements in hives to permit of their successful and profitable management. The Langstroth simplicity bar-frame hive was welcomed as the very thing for housing these costly insects, and although there are many types of bar-frame hives available, the Langstroth bar-framed hive still holds chief place in the esteem of up-to-date bee-keepers. Some years ago, a disease, far more destructive to bees than 6 AUSTRALIAN BEE LORE AND BEE CULTURE. the bee moth, and now bids fair to be far more serious, made its appearance amongst our bees—foul Brood. On one occasion, at Bombala, I saw over 100 colonies of bees destroyed by this disease. ‘The hives were filled with dead bees and festering foul-brood com» thus spreading the disease far and wide, for the disease is conta- gious. Districts that were regarded as ideal as apicultural ones were almost swept clear of bees. If keepers of bees, be it but a single hive or an extensive apiary, earnestly set about acquiring a knowledge of the character of the disease and of the causes that are conducive to its spread, and co-operate with their bee-keeping neighbours and the Associations in suppressing it, the bee-keeping industry will be freed from a disaster that threatens to overwhelm it. THE BEES’ POSITION IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 7 CHAPTER -IIit. THE BEES’ POSITION IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. ALL natural objects belong to one of three great divisions—mineral, vegetable, or animal. In classifying any object of nature, the first thing is to find to which of these kingdoms it belongs. These kingdoms are cut up into groups, and are divided and subdivided for the better understanding of the group or division any member of either kingdom may occupy. Nature is very fond of diversity. She has been very lavishing in the distribution of her infinite resources in all three kingdoms. In the animal world alone she has spread out before us nearly half ‘a million classes of creatures endowed with life which inhabit land or sea. To better understand this vast army, of which the honey-bee is a member, each one is marshalled under eight or nine different heads. This splitting up is for the purpose of narrowing down or limiting any one of them to a known position in the kingdom to which they belong, so that in speaking, reading, or writing of them the mean- ing will be the more intelligible and comprehensive. Thus, a bee is as much an animal as a horse, cow, or fish, but in their classifica- tion there are many grades between them. A horse resembles a fish far more than it does a bee. The horse and fish have internal skeletons and backbones (vertebrata), but the honey-bee has neither. Again, the honey-bee resembles a spider, crab, or earth- worm more than it does a horse or fish, but there is a very wide difference between a bee and the first three named. A bee is like a spider or worm in that none of them have an internal skeleton or framework of bones. The framework of bees, spiders, worms, &c., are of the same construction, 7.e., made up of external rings. Animals whose bodies are made up of external horny rings are termed Annulosa. The organs of locomotion in spiders, worms, &c., have feet. Bees, also, although they fly, walk upon feet. But the feet of a bee differ very much from those of a worm. There are joints in the feet of spiders and bees, but there are none in those of worms. Animals, the framework of whose bodies are composed of horny rings and have jointed feet, belong to that division of the animal kingdom termed Arthropoda. Bees have jointed feet, and are, therefore, separated from 8 AUSTRALIAN BEE LORE AND BEE CULTURE. worms, &c., but she still keeps company with spiders. Arthropoda are divided into classes. The honey-bee belongs to the class Insecta. Here she leaves the company of spiders and crabs, and is joined with butterflies, ants, beetles, &c. The honey-bee is not much like a beetle, but more so than it 1s like a spider. Compare the body of a spider with that of a bee, you cannot but notice that the spider’s body is made up of two parts only, head and body, and her eight legs are attached to the latter. The bulk of a bee’s body is com- posed of three parts—head, thorax, and abdomen. Bees have but six legs, and these are attached to the thorax. Again, spiders lay eggs, and so do bees, but the young hatched from spiders’ eggs differ greatly from those hatched from bees’ eggs. From the spiders’ eggs hatch out young spiders as perfect in form as their parents. The young hatched from bees’ or butterflies’ eggs are as dissimilar as an earthworm is from a butterfly, and in few respects like the bee or butterfly that laid the egg. From the butterfly’s egg caterpillars are hatched. At first these young caterpillars are very small; they grow rapidly, and when full grown, they enter another stage of development—a chrysalis or pupa. This third stage is so unlike the caterpillar it developed from, were we not acquainted with the fact, it could not be conceived that it is in any way connected with the parent that laid the egg. In course of time, from this strange-looking chrysalis, a perfected bee or butter- fly emerges. Spiders belong to the sub-kingdom Annulosa, and to the division Arthropoda, but not to the class /nsecta, because they do not go through those stages in developing to the perfect form or imago, as bees, butterflies, &c., do. Spiders change from egg ta imago only. Here the honey-bee must part from the company of butterflies, beetles, &c. These latter are insects as much as bees are, but there is a great difference between them, chiefly in their wings. Butterflies belong to the order of insects termed Lepidoptera, 7.e., insects having wings covered with feathery scales, and beetles to the order Coleoptera, their true wings being pro- tected under horny cases. Bees to the order Hymenoptera because their membrane wings are thin, fibrous, and interwoven like net- work. This order (Hymenoptera) contains the largest number of families in the insect world. Some of them are very remarkable for their social habits and wonderful instinctive traits of character. The order Hymenoptera is narrowed down into families—Apide. In it are included ants, hornets, wasps, ichneumons, bees, &c. All these are very bee-like in their general form. We have not as yet THE BEES’ POSITION IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 9 reached the particular position in the animal kingdom allotted to true bees. The family Apzde is divided into genera. In one of the divisions termed dps honey-bees are placed; accompanying them are mason-bees, carpenter-bees, &c. These latter are short- tongued members of the genus, and therefore are not honey- gatherers. Nevertheless, the habits of the whole of them are extremely interesting. Of long and short tongued bees there are about 2000 varieties. The genus Apis is split into species, and the honey-bee belongs to the species Mellifica, and here is the exact position assigned to our friend, the harbinger of civilized man— one of the very few insects that have been domesticated for his use, and the only one that he has brought under his subjugation as an auxiliary in supplying him with that highly essential article of diet, honey. Nevertheless, every member of the species is not equally pro- fitable from a commercial point. Some varieties of this species are profitable only as wax-producers. When we consider the increasing demand in the Home market for Australian bees-wax, the quantity of honey consumed by our hive bees in the production of comb, and our local requirements for the manufacture of that indispensable adjunct to profitable bee-keeping, artificial founda- tion comb, it at once raises the question:—Would it not be a prudent step to introduce into our State some highly profitable wax-producers ! 10 AUSTRALIAN BEE LORE AND BEE CULTURE. CHAPTER IV. SPECIES AND VARIETIES OF SOCIAL BEES. THE genus Apis contains about 16 species and varieties of social bees having a commercial value, and these are the only ones to be dealt with here. A large number of bee-keepers favour crosses, and the cross sought for—the ideal bee of the future—must be one possessing untiring industry, great energy, and unlimited endur- ance, the queen possessing a docile temper, vigorous constitution, and known for her powers of fecundity, producing workers that are unlimited honey-gatherers and builders of flat, highly-finished combs, in which drone cells are not too numerous, the workers possessing, like the mother, the mildest of tempers. That such a variety of these industrious and interesting workers as the fore- going describes will be produced is only a question of time. The cat, a descendant of the most ferocious of felines, by years of domestication and association with the human family, has almost forgotten the use of her talons; so also the dog, the ox, and the horse have almost forgotten their powers to injure; there- fore it is not unreasonable to suppose the bee of the future, although possessing a formidable sting, will, by careful breeding and selection, refrain from using the power she possesses to inflict injury. The various races of bees differ greatly, and their geographical distribution is almost as wide as the poles, being found in a state of nature in both the temperate and torrid zones. Whether the bee of the future, possessing all the qualifications and attributes that we think it ought to possess, will be a pure race or a cross that has not yet been produced time alone can decide. With the pure races of bees that have already been imported into this State—black, Ligurian, and Carniolan—important steps have been made towards the ideal worker. Apis mellifica is too well known to need any description, but a chapter on ‘The Species and Varieties of Bees” would be incom- plete without reference to them. Our old friend the black bee was the first variety imported into Australia, and, like the black aboriginal human race of the continent, will be soon superseded by @ superior variety. SPECIES AND VARIETIES OF SOCIAL BEES. ll Whether the black bee was the first variety that was domesti- cated or not we have now no power of determining. The bees now found where the human race was first cradled are varieties of Apis ligustica. Therefore it is more reasonable to suppose that it was the Ligurian rather than the English bee. Be that as it may, it is the black bee that has followed in the wake of civilisation. Wherever the colonist has planted his foot the black bee has followed, but she is now fast making way for another variety that is more fashionable in its attire. Nevertheless, the black bee possesses some excellent traits that it will be well to retain with the incoming race. Her comb-honey is far superior in appearance to that of the Italian bee. This is the only attribute in which she excels her yellow-banded sister. Apis ligustica, also known as the Ligurian, the Italian, and uhe yellow Alpine bee, has long been known to entomologists. It 1s supposed to be the bee that the Greeks and Romans wrote and sang about. Of the three varieties mentioned by Aristotle it is the one that he speaks of as being “‘small and round in shape and variegated in colour’’——his best variety. Virgil wrote of two varieties, and speaks of the better of the two as being ‘‘variegated and of, a beautiful golden colour.’’ They appear to have been very fashion- able in the time of these ancient historians. The fashions of this world change. After the lapse of more than 2000 years these yellow-banded bees have again become the favourite variety, not alone on account of their attractive markings and form, but for the many excellent qualities they possess over their old-fashioned black brethren. In 1805 Spaniola described it, and was the first to call it the Ligurian bee. He found it in the plains of Piedmont. Spaniola gave the variety the name of Ligurian from the old Roman name of the northern shores of the Gulf of Genoa, the district that is hemmed in by the Carmic and Helvenic Alps. The bee of the northern districts of Italy, generally known amongst the bee- keepers as the leather-coloured Italian, differs somewhat from its more southern neighbour. This southern bee is smaller, more ‘‘ladylike,’’ and three of the abdominal rings are of a bright golden yellow. This bee is also found in Asia Minor, the islands adjacent thereto, and in the Caucasus. Its nature is more excitable, and it cannot be depended upon like that of the north. In America, Italian bees are now 12 AUSTRALIAN BEE LORE AND BEE CULTURE: being bred for high colour; four-banded, or even five-banded bees have now become a fixed strain. Some time ago, Mr. Abram, of Beecroft, obtained by careful breeding four-banded Italian bees, but did not attempt to fix the strain, being convinced that breed- ing bees for colour, like breeding fowls for feather, would result in no advantage in their more useful qualities. Busch in 1855 described the Italian as follows: ‘‘The workers are smooth and glossy, and the colour of the abdominal rings is a medium between the pale yellow of straw and the deeper yellow of ochre.”’ “These rings have a narrow black edge, so that the yellow (which might be called leather-coloured) constitutes the ground.” This description tallies with that of the bee of Northern Italy. Cheshire’s pen describes it more accurately. He says ‘‘the first abdominal ring on the dorsal side mainly faces the thorax, and may be missed by careless observation ; its lower edge only is black. The upper two-thirds of the second is yellow; the upper third smooth and hairless, because this passes beneath the ring above it when the body is contracted. A band of yellow hair covers the second-third and adds much to the beauty of the bee, as the hairs and ground are alike yellow. The lower-third of the ring is glossy black, carrying many microscopic hairs and a minute fringe. The third ring resembles the second, while the fourth and fifth carry yellowish hairs, but are otherwise black; the sixth ring, black also, is nearly hairless.’’ These are the chief points that mark the pure three-banded Italian bee. This bee readily crosses with A. melificu, aud the cross thus producled, as is usual with the crossing of other animals besides bees, will partake of the character of both parents, some of the offspring showing the characteristics of the male stronger than the markings of the female, and others retaining more of the peculiarities of the mother than the father. We often see in the same swarm of crossbrids, bees differently marked. The drones Apis ligustica differ from the workers in having the upper half of their abdominal rings black and the lower half yellow, and they are somewhat smaller than the drone of A. melli- fica. As compared with the worker the under side of the abdomen is yellower. In colonies where the workers are found to be uniform in markings the queens greatly vary, some are dark and may be mistaken by amateurs for the queens of A. mellifica. Other queens are to be met with quite yellow, except a small dark brown dot on each dorsal plate of the abdomen. Most Italian queens have SPECIES AND VARIETIES OF SOCIAL BEES. 13 the abdomen long and beautifully tapering towards the caudal extremity. These yellow queens are very beautiful and have the advantage of being more readily distinguished on the comb when mixed with the workers than their darker compeers, an advantage that should not be lost sight of, especially with those who have not a very observant eye. The advantages that A. ligustica have over A. mellifica may be summed up as follows:—The queens are ex- tremely prolific, and as soon as one brood emerges from the chrysalis she is ready to refill the brood cells with enormous quantities of eggs. In this respect she greatly surpasses her black sister. It is seldom one finds the brood comb of the latter regular. In the same comb will be found eggs and larve in various stages of development. In the brood combs of the Italian bee these irregularities are very rare, the brood in each comb will be as even as sealed honey, every cell having its inmate in the same stage as its neighbours. They recover from spring dwindling early in the season, and as the early honey-bearing flowers expand they have a large army ready to enter upon the labours of the field. The variety as a rule is possessed of a mild temper. Nevertheless I have seen the progeny of some queens far more irritable than any black bee I ever handled. A little smoke will easily subdue the Italian bee, and they bear manipulating well. It is not an unusual thing to see the bees at work while the comb is held in the hand, and occasions have occurred of the queen depositing her eggs in the presence of the observer. They adhere to the comb with greater tenacity than the black bee; the latter can easily be removed by a sudden jerk, whilst the Italian bee has nearly always to be brushed off. They bear artificial swarming much earlier than our old friend the black bee, and to an extent that would soon decimate if not entirely annihilate the latter. They defend their stores with the courage of a British tar, whilst that same attribute makes them marauders and determined robbers of their weaker neighbours. A fairly strong colony is proof against the wax moth. For industry, and as honey gatherers, they have not as yet been surpassed. Mr. Radl- kofer says ‘‘Not only are Italian bees distinguished by an earlier awakened impulse to activity and labour but they are remarkable also for the sedulous use they make of every opening flower, visiting some on which common bees are seldom or never seen.’’ Morawits and Douglas say ‘‘The brighter coloured southern bee of Italy is more suitable for hot climates,” whilst Langstroth (speaking of the Italian bees generally) says that ‘‘the Italian bees are less sensitive to cold than the common kind’’ (black). ‘lhere 14 AUSTRALIAN BEE LORE AND BEE CULTURE: is no doubt a good deal of truth in both statements, for bees like other animals adapt themselves to climatic changes more readily than members of the vegetable kingdom. In the warm valley of the Hunter River the leather-coloured bee is the favourite. Italian drones are far more vigorous than those of the black bee, and as a rule are on the wing much earlier in the day. The virgin queen has also this early rising habit. This habit of the sexes is a great aid in keeping a good strain unmixed, especially in a district where black drones are numerically weak. Dzierzon was under the impression that where both kinds of drones exist in’ about equal numbers the Italian queens will'usually encounter the: Italian drones, because both drones and queens are more active and agile than those of the common bee. The reason of the Italian bee again becoming the favorite after the lapse of so many years was without doubt the beauty of its markings and the mildness of its temper, the latter making it the ladies’ bee par excellence, and the amount of care and attention that has been bestowed upon it has developed traits and charac- teristics that could never have been brought out in the black bee. If the same amount of care and attention be bestowed upon it. during the next quarter of a century that has been bestowed upon it during the last, the ideal bee of the future will soon become a reality. Apis dorsata.—This bee is sometimes termed the giant bee of Kast India. No variety of bees build such slabs of comb as this one. Of ten times under the ledges of rocks, or hanging from the thick branches of trees, combs 6 feet long by 3 feet in width are met with. A. dorsata frequently appear to build these slabs of wax for the mere fun of the thing, or for the purpose of keeping their ’prenticed hand in practice, which must be accounted as an advantage in their utility as wax producers. A. zonata, of the Philippine Islands, is said to be a larger bee than A. dorsata, but it is highly probable that it is a variety of the latter. In con- structing their comb, the cells in which drones are reared do not appear to differ in size from that of the worker’s cell. Mr. Frank Benton was the first to give any reliable information in regard to these bees. He visited India in 1880-81, and in the jungles ob- tained colonies by cutting the comb from their original attach- ments. He placed these colonies in frame hives, and permitted them to have free ingress and egress, and they did not desert these enclosed habitations. They were found not to be so ferocious as had been represented. With proper precautions when hived they Sie oN oe SPECIES AND VARIETIES OF SOCIAL BEES. 15 HONEY BEES. Worker, Carniolan Variety of Apes melliica—twice natural size. Giant Honey Bee of East India (Apis dorsata), Worker—twice natural size. Giant Honey Bee of East India ( Apis dorsata), Drone—twice natural size. Drone, Carniolan Variety of Apis mellifica—twice natural size. Queen, Carniolan Variety of Apis mellifica—twice natural size. De we : na oy ie ‘ ho Unk a ; py % ae: Src a Th Nees eat ay Y, eo " (= anid J oo z Bo tos i ei cig io. "ie a Re yh: Ce = 7 Me : r r " i t ee Mire : BM sk f ? ’ , J ve an yey ee: : { Mia ‘ a i 2 Cl ve ot t ; ‘ aie , — Yoru " ie Hi) ve By : we; oy, 4 be ' } mK a bed } a ' , q A ” \ gies \ € * = "Uy — ae 4 a i} j : \ * r ia ~ = ; ’ : i P yi 7 *: Sith = es yO ead ¢ EIT th bee wd Oe Mae es Si Ket? Me hie . * ; 1h ' ‘ : Pt ; if ad MO) an oD Wiel at ae y Wad t i : tei) Hiss ~ 7 ' bis Lae ea Ais % j ( h i, 7) F ‘ ie ae ‘ : | : é « A e 4 ; di ’ iy), i Lit : —— < ~~ s é ; Yi ; fr aA) aa : eas ne ae ST Wh SPECIES AND VARIETIES OF SOCIAL BEES. 17 are easily handled, even without smoke. From the quantity of honey and wax present when these bees were obtained, it was evident they are good gatherers. Owing to illness Mr. Benton failed to take these bees to America for the purpose of acclimatisation. He says: “These large bees would doubtless be able to get honey from flowers whose nectaries are located out of reach of ordinary bees, notably those of the red clover, now visited chiefly by humble bees and which, it is thought, the East Indian bees might pollinate and cause to produce seeds more abundantly. Even if no further utility, they might prove an important factor in the production of large quantities of excellent wax, now such an _ expensive article.’’ Apis indica is common in Ceylon and the southern parts of Asia. It is domesticated in the East Indies by the Dutch and British settlers, who keep them in habitations made of clay similar to drain pipes, placed in trees and other elevated positions. The worker of this species of bee is 3 inch long ; general colour, a dark brown, almost black, with a yellow shield on the thorax between the wings; each segment of the dorsal plates of the abdo- men is tinged with an orange colour. The queen is about one- fourth larger than the workers, and is readily distinguished from them, being of a dark coppery colour. The drones are not much larger than the workers, but differ from them in colour, being of a metallic blue; their wings in the sunlight constantly changing colour—something lke shot silk. They are very active, and are said to be very gentle, while the pain resulting from their sting is not so severe as that of A. dorsata. Apis trigona (our native bee) are natives of Australasia, and extend into India. They are something less than our common house fly; colour, black, with dirty white rings on the dorsal seg- ments of the abdomen. They generally build in the hollows of trees, and store their honey in irregularly-formed cells. It has an agreeable flavour, ‘but the storage of it by the bees is so small the insect is not worth domesticating. Apis florea._'the tiny honey bee of India, one of the smallest of tne species known, even more slender than our native bee. In coluar, wiey are a blue black, one-third of the abdomen having a bright orange tinge. Like A. dorsata, they build in the open air, fasveuiuy vuelr single comb to a twig in a bush, and, like all honey- gathering bees, it hangs vertically. ‘I'he comb seldom contains more than about 20 inches of surface, usually about 7 inches long 18 AUSTRALIAN BEE LORE AND BEE CULTURE: by about 3 inches in width. The cells in the comb are extremely small; there are about 100 to the square inch. Apis mellifica.—There are several varieties of A. mellifica, and it is this species, on account of their use to man, that has been in all ages so universally sought for. The black or brown, or, as it is sometimes called, the German bee, is the common well-known hive bee that was introduced into New South Wales by Dr. Wilson, and is now so universally distributed throughout our forests. The Cyprian bee, as its name indicates, is a native of Cyprus. The dorsal segments of the abdomen are a golden yellow. They are very irritable, easily angered by rough handling, and susceptible to the least excitement, nevertheless they are valuable as honey gatherers. Zhe Italian bees (Ligurians) are natives of Italy. They have golden or leather-coloured segments on the three dorsal plates of the abdomen nearest the thorax. Those having the golden markings are chiefly met with in the southern parts of the peninsula, whilst the leather-coloured are inhabitants of the northern districts of the country. They are supposed to be a fixed strain of a cross between the German and the Cyprian bees. Both these varieties readily interbreed and their progeny are always re- productive. Since the Ligurian bee has become fashionable four and even five banded bees are to be met with. The Carniolian bees are natives of Carniola in Austria. The workers are some- what larger than the common black bee, neither is the abdomen so pointed. They differ in colour in having a ring of silvery-hued hair on each dorsal plate. As honey gatherers they probably rank equally with the Italian bees, and the cross between the two varie- ties is said to be superior to that between the black and Italian. The T'unie bee is sometimes named the Punic bee; they are natives of the northern districts of Africa. They are not so valuable as either of the former as honey-gatherers. The best working variety of A. mellifica is the pure Italian. Apis dorsata, A. indica, A. trigona, A. florea, and A. mellifica are species of the genus Apis; but the German, the Cyprian, the Italian, and the Carniolian bees are only varieties of the species Mellifica. Species differ from varieties in that they do not readily interbreed, and where such intercourse takes place the progeny are hybrids or mules, and result in not being reproductive.